Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 50: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

188 ently away, he swung himself into the hack beside Norman, and ordered the driver to go ahead. “Do you mean to tell me,” gasped Norman, “that you are going to take me against my will—by force?” “Just that,” assented Big Bill non- chalantly. ‘‘ Miss Molly told me to bring you, and I always aim to do what she says.”’ “But my train East!” raged Nor- man. “ My chance at that job in Phil- adelphia! By cripes! If there’s any law in New Mexico, I'll make you suf- fer for this, Davis.”’ *?*Tain’t no tougher on you’n ’tis on me, kid.” Big Bill leaned back resign- edly and lit a cigar. “I'd ruther be hung ’n ride in one of these things. Don’t feel at home nowhere but in a saddle. “Yet, here J am caged up with you in this old box for nigh onto an hour, when, if you’d only been reasonable, I could ’a’ took Jasper and made it up over the mountain in less’n fifteen min- utes. “ That’s why,” he explained, “ Miss Molly didn’t come after you herself. I could make it to town on horseback faster’n she could in the car. And she was afraid you might pull your freight.” Norman, however, paid little heed to these observations. He was engaged in speculating on the chances of jump- ing from the hack and escaping unhurt, for once they were started, the re- straining grip of his captor had been released. But in view of Manuel’s reckless driving, such an attempt would be ob- vious suicide, and he had to fall back upon mere verbal protests and threats of what he would do when he regained his liberty. Big Bill only laughed 1 his successive tirades. “Keep your shirt on, kid,” he ad- vised. “Keep your shirt on. lf you ain’t well enough acquainted with Miss Molly to know it yourself, I can tell ndulgently at ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. you that nobody never lost nothing yet doing what she said. “Now listen to me,” he went on. “T couldn’t talk out while that snake- in-the-grass_ salesman was buzzing around, but I can put you wise now that what she wants with you is to give you a job.” “Give me a job?” Norman’s head jerked up sharply. “Sure,” nodded Bill. ‘She seen from your note, I gather, that you was all wet as a salesman. “So I s’pose she figgered it was up to her to pervide for you. That’s the way she is, always looking out for them that can’t take care of their- selves.” Norman couldn’t trust himself to reply. So that was the way Molly Todd regarded him, was it? An object of charity! He seethed with wounded pride. It is all very well for a young man to describe himself to a girl as a wash- out, but to have her really think him so is something else yet. Bitter, savage disclaimers rose to his lips, but he choked the words back. Why waste his indignation on a mere subordinate? He would wait until he faced Molly Todd herself, and then let her know that she could not play her Lady Bountiful tricks on him. He would tell her that he considered her offer as nothing short of an insult, and her method of bringing him there as a high-handed outrage for which he intended to exact heavy reparation. So, nursing his grievance, and em- ploying himself in framing new and more blistering phrases with which to crush her, he finished the rest of the ride in silence, deaf to the further con- versation of his companion. And so eager was he to have his say that when the hack arrived before the castle he sprang out almost before it stopped and went charging up the steps. The butler opened the door for him with a very different manner from that COPMICLOOOKS (C@)